Places

World Peace on a Belt

We got back from the opening–a fun time–and I decided to top off the evening creating a Christmas list. What’s more fun than making a list of things you would enjoy being given? Actually, at my age it’s a bit unattractive, especially before Thanksgiving, so I’m appropriately embarrassed, but this is America after all, and we are approaching the holiday season–excuse me, Holiday Season–and that means making a Christmas list.

Just so you know, world peace is my number one.

This is followed by a Fein oscillating detail sander and The Original Mechanical Pencil, Fixpencil®. Remember that Toys R Us sweepstakes they used to run when we were children, the one where the winner got 5 minutes to run through the store to get everything they could grab? That was so cold war America. The Cubans and the Ruskies knew about this and these concerns are often swept under the rug when discussing the missile crises. That original mechanical pencil–hoo boy–original 1929 Swiss design for woodworkers–oh my–machined aluminum body–mmmmm–$18.95. Twenty bucks for a pencil. It’s number three behind world peace.

Ah, tools and gadgets: middle-aged American men’s drug of choice.

The only thing better than a tool or gadget is a tool or gadget that you can put on your belt. You’ve really got my attention with the belt connection: so military, so BatMan. I wear a leatherman daily which is a fancy sort of pocketknife; I have since college. Anybody out there thinking about a great present to give a guy? May I recommend the Leathermen PS2 or the Leathermen Wave. This is a family website and I don’t like to be vulgar, however, it’s a damn nice thing to have on your belt.

Since I left my first one on a beach–knife open (word up to anyone visiting Pismo)–Meg got me the Wave version a couple of Christmas’s ago. Wowzo tool. You get big-time cool points for learning how to open it one-handed, kinda like Zippo lighter tricks. Zippo lighter tricks: along with pool, two things I learned in school besides art. U.S.S.R sent me an email a while back that promised world peace if I could do the snap-open-snap-light trick–unpracticed–five times in a row. I asked what would happen if I missed.

6 Comments so far ↓

Another blogging couple! I know they exist, but I haven’t found any until now.
I have always had a hankering for a Leatherman, but I don’t think I could bring myself to wear it on my belt. Not after all the ever so funny comments I have made over the years about men who wear knives, keys, Zippos etc on their belt. I once bought a cheapo version and kept it secretly in the bottom of my work bag, always hoping for the day when I could produce it with a flourish and safe the day. Alas, that day never came.
It’s not just boys who love the gadgets. Mrs McMuffin loves her Swiss Army Knife and carries it around with her everywhere. I think she too is looking forward to the day when she can produce it with a flourish and safe the day.

Mr M.,
Yes, I have to admit that a couple days will go by in which I don’t use it. But then, I’ll need it and I won’t have it. During my college days I was a bit of an eccentric and not only wore a leatherman, but also a flashlight, video camera (yes you read that right, one of the first small ones) and a case that contained a writing pad and pen. I used to laugh at palm pilots…a 37 cent flipbook was easier to use with its built in handwriting recognition, intuitive drawing program, durability, battery life, and you could share it with anyone (although it was a pain to back-up). I even had a key-pal for my keys: this was fashionable at my art school at the time, even for girls. The secret to cool is confident dorkness.
: )

I’m a gadget geek too…
I have had a Leatherman Micra (http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/micra/default.asp) on my keychain since 1997. The scissors work really well, they totally put those tiny Swiss Army types of scissors to shame. (They especially come in handy at Christmas or birthday parties when you have to cut through a billion little twisty ties in order to remove a something simple like a doll from its package.) The other great thing about the Micra is that it has a small phillips blade in it. Use it all the time…
Funny thing about those PDA’s. I received a Pocket PC a year or two ago at work. At first, I was like this is great, now I can get organized. Turns out that I’m way too undisciplined to actually use it for “planning/managing” anything. You said it Murray, paper is so much easier.
On the other hand, I do use the thing just about every day. Playing Solitaire while I’m using the mens room…

Hey! I, too, have a Leatherman Micra that I keep on my keychain. Actually, it started out as Murray’s: he got it as a groomsman gift. Until I confiscated it!
Mostly, I use it to file my nails, in my ever-continuing obsession for perfectly short and unobtrusive fingernails: no hangnails, no sharp corners, just perfect smooth ovals so short as to be completely ineffectual when it comes to the usual usage as the organic equivalent of crowbars. But I’ve got the flat-head portion of my Micra for prying!